Resuming Life
by Gilsaragrissom
Summary: Sara comes back to work after her abduction. A look into ecklie's administrative inquiry and life with Gil after the relationship is public knowledge. rated T for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

"okay then, uh this is an administrative inquiry, you and supervisor Gil Grissom were in direct violation of lab policy-"

"are" she corrected him, a smug grin daring to escape thin lips.

"are in direct violation of lab policy," he modified " which states that members of the same forensic team may not engage in a romantic relationship.... so when did you and supervisor Grissom begin your relationship?"

"well, we've always had a relationship" she knew it was stupid to pick at particulars and beat around the bush, but in an odd way- it felt nice to see ecklie so uncomfortable.

he paused, " i mean- when did you become..... intimate" he knew she would not make this easy.

she took a second before answer, remembering the exact moment it began, with his hand gently resting on her shoulder, sliding down and caressing her arm so slowly,"two years ago- i think it was a sunday."

"two years. this has been going on for two years- and his quarterly reviews of your performance-" he took a breath, "obviously i will check and look into this deeper, but do you feel they were.... in any way, tainted if you will- by your "relationship?" "

"no."

"ofcorse, i wouldn't expect any different of an answer" he noted a few things in the folder, then looked back at her, "and how.... serious, would you say this relationship is?"

"serious"

"could you be a little clearer please?"

"how so?"

"well- in most relationships, they have milestones, like keeping a toothbrush at your spouses home, or exchanging keys, things like that...."

"we live together."

ecklie probably would have fallen of his chair had he not steadied himself. clearing his throat he spoke, "live together?" she nodded, "for how long?" his eyebrows furrowed with expression.

"over a year."

"and who knew, about this..."

"i think most of the lab knows by now."

"i mean before you were, ... ... abducted, "

"no one" but that was a lie. Brass knew, and even though Ecklie had no authority over him as lab director, she still did not want to bring his name into the mix.

"how did you two manage that?"

"by not telling people,"

"didn't you want to tell everyone you were dating someone?"

"no, not really."

"mhmm." he looked down at his paper,

"is that all?"

"for now- i suppose. if you get a hold of gil, tell him that dodging me will only make this worse."

tbc...


	2. Chapter 2

she could feel the eyes upon her as she walked through the familiar hallways of the lab. prying eyes gazing upon her injuries, wondering and imagining her relationship with gil.

she hated this, all of it. everything was so perfect before. She and gil had their life together, away from the lab, their own secret paradise that no one could disturb, they worked professionally- this secret never should have been revealed. it should have stayed just between the two of them, something they could share with each other and no one else.

she thought about when that discussion had first taken place, both agreeing that discretion was the best option. it was after they slept together for the second time, bare bodies remained close and intertwined beneath cotton sheets. it was all so knew, so fresh- she felt the need to stare at him, make sure he was actually there with her. her finger tips grazed and outlined his jawline, lightly scratching the scruff. his blue eyes gazing into her chocolate brown orbs, he leaned in and kissed her forehead lightly, lips lingering a bit.

she sighed at the thought. she wanted desperately to go back to that moment now, where everything was a secret, where she was safe in his arms, where neither could have ever dreamt up someone like the miniature killer.

she was technically still on administrative leave until ecklie finished the administrative inquiry, and until her doctor cleared her. But she had no desire to go back home now, there wasn't much to do there, and it would be too quite and lonely without gil. and as much as she wanted to pretend she was strong and unharmed by the events that had transpired, it was a lie. she hated to be alone- the images of that night creeping into her mind. she shook away the thoughts, for now she camped out in Gil's office until he ended shift.

she laid down with a forensic journal on the couch in his office after closing the door and shades. her ribs were sore, her arm throbbed, and the abrasions on her face still burned a little, each time she tried to relax- finding a comfortable position was difficult to say the least.

- - - - - -

it was about three hours later, grissom made his way back from the crime scene and into his office. he opened the door to find sara asleep on the couch, a forensic journal face down, open, laying across her chest. a cross between a smile and a frown appeared upon his face.

he approached her quietly and lifted the forensic journal off of her, he grabbed a blanket from the other end of the couch and gently covered her with it. he couldn't help but gently brush her hair back from her face, and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

grissom spent the next half hour catching up on paper work, evaluating theories, and organizing his desk. every now and again he would look over to sara and make sure she was still sound asleep.

it was as he was signing off on a case file when he heard her stir. he looked up to see her slightly flinching. he quickly got up and went to her side, kneeling down he put his hands on her, gently stroking, whispering her name. she wouldn't wake. he shook her good arm a little harder, saying her name right into her ear,

"sara- sara honey.... wake up. ... it time to wake up now."

she jolted up, surprising him. her breath quick and shallow. as she looked around and began to recognize her surroundings, her breath began to turn back to normal. all the while gil stayed quite, gently rubbing her back for reassurance.

she turned to him, looking at him,

"im sorry- i, i didn't mean to fall asleep here, i just-"

"shh, sara. its alright." he knew she didn't want to admit to or talk about the night mare she just experienced, "you need rest- but you should really go home and rest- im sure this couch isn't doing your soreness any good."

she simply shook her head, looking away from his eyes. he read the look on her face, and quickly realized that she didn't want to be home without him, that it made her uneasy.

his eyes softened with this realization, "why don't we go home,"

"but your case..."

"is in good hands- and if they really need me, they'll call."

"but ecklie..."

"can wait.- c'mon sara, lets go home, take a nice hot shower, get ready for bed, and curl up with a book?" he ran the palm of his hand over her cheek, she nodded slightly, and with that, he helped her up and lead her out of the building.

tbc....


	3. Chapter 3

He striped his clothes off. sara watched through the half opened bathroom door from her reclined position in the tub. her uninjured arm swooshing the surface water back and forth.

As he pulled on his new boxers he glanced in her direction, realizing she had been watching him-

"see something you like?" His boyish grin illuminating,

She smiled seductively in reply as he made his way into the bathroom, sitting on the closed toilet lid beside the tub. she slid herself down underneath the water and then back up, the water droplets rolling down her face.

He squeezed some of the lemon grass scented shampoo into the palm of his hand and began to lather it through her hair.

She sighed, "im sorry you have to do this," she began.

"You know im more that happy to." he countered, "i know how you hate to feel helpless, it's only for a little while,"

She turned her head around to him and gave him a half smile. he was so cute when he tried to be reassuring. ....... they shared a quick, gentle kiss before he continued the task at hand.

.....

She wore a button down shirt of his, it was the only thing that would fit over her arm. Grissom didn't mind though- he loved to see her in his shirts, clearly numerous sizes too large for her.

She was on the bed, her hair starting to dry. he observed her as she sat in some odd position, her leg holding a book open so she could read and turn the page. he knew she hated to feel like the victim, to feel helpless, and to have her independence striped from her, so he tried his hardest not to make a fuss over her. But he couldn't help the feeling of wanting to, of wanting to hold her for hours, of tending to her every need.

He sat on his side of the bed beside her. he reclined against the pillows into a half laying, half sitting up position.

He let her read for a few minutes more before he spoke. He lifted her hair on one side, placing it behind her ear, and doing so caused her to turn to him-

"You should get some rest dear,"

she smiled at him and nodded, closing the book she was reading and placing it on the nightstand beside her. she turned off the light and settled into bed.

The two bodies moved and shuffled until a comfortable position was found for both. He laid on his back, legs straight, as she curled her body around him, bringing one bend leg over his thighs, her arm draped over his abdomen, and her head close to his heart. his hand stroked her soft hair and he let out a deep sigh unintentionally.

her arm traced back and forth on his stomach, "what's wrong?" she asked,

"nothing- its, .... nothing."

She sat up and leaned on her good arm, looking at him, "what is it?"

"I'm just." he paused, "i don't think i've expressed to you how glad i am that you're alright... that you're..." his voice trailed off, and he added in a whisper, "alive"

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

He opened his eyes and looked around, the colors of the sunset were just about coming through the shades. He turned his head to the left, seeing sara beside him, looking up at him. he smiled at her,

"How long have you been up for?"

She surprised him with her response. Placing her good hand on his check she leaned in, pressing her lips to his, deepening the kiss until the need for air became to much to ignore, and even then she let her lips linger against his. His eyes opened seeing her face still so close to his.

"what was that for?" he breathed, still a little dazed from both sleep and the pleasant surprise of her kiss.

"I am also...." she looked away and then back to him, "glad I'm alive." her lip twitched and eyes swelled, tell-tale signs that she was holding back a sob. Grissom placed both hands on either side of her face, wary of her abrasions. He pressed his forehead against hers. No further words were spoken, nor needed to be. They laid together, faces close, just staring at one another. There lips met gently every so often

This was the 6th day she was home from the hospital. And on this day, it was the first time he had gone back to work. He hadn't wanted to go into work- but he had felt bad throwing such a heavy load on Catherine. He had made Sara promise that she would be alright alone, and that if she needed anything she would call. Obviously he was wrong for believing her when she said she would be fine alone, she clearly wasn't. Seeing her asleep on his couch in his office had made him fee a vast ray of emotions, guilt was a main one. Laying with her in his arms now, he knew she wasn't ready to be alone, and frankly he wasn't quite ready to leave her. But he knew he needed to go into work, and he knew he needed to face Ecklie.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked softly, tracing a finger over his lips.

He waited a long moment before responding, "I think it would mean a lot to the guys if we asked them to come over- just one at a time sporadically- to keep you company. They really want to help out and all, and I think they feel like we're pushing them away."

"You don't want to feel guilty about leaving me alone when you go to work." she smiled in her 'i-know-you-too-well' kind of way.

He offered a half smile, "That too."

"Gil, I'll be fine here, I have hank" she smiled, "I only came in today because I wanted to get talking to Ecklie over with, thats all."

"Sara..." he said somewhat sternly.

"But it would be nice to have some company. . . if that would put you at ease while you're off at work."

"It would." he kissed her forehead and got up out of bed, "I'm heading in the shower- greg will be here at 8." He just caught the sight of her jaw drop before closing the bathroom door.

------

He got out of the shower to find she had changed from sleep wear to comfortable 'lounge around' clothing. He walked to the dresser, towel wrapped around his waist, and opened his underwear draw. He noticed she had walked to his side, as he rummaged through his draw he briefly looked up at her and smiled, then returned his attention to the task at hand. He suddenly felt a tug at the towel. Looking down he saw his towel in a heap on the floor, he snapped his head in Sara's direction, utter confusion etched across his face. Sara was stood about a foot away, arms crossed with a smug look on her face.

"What was that for!?" he was completely confused, brows furrowed and all.

"For inviting greg over before you won the argument."

His face relaxed and a devilish smirk replaced the once perplexed features.

"Yeah? Are you sure you not just making excuses to get me naked?"

"Ha, when did you become so conceited Dr. Grissom?"

"conceited? Is _that_ what you think!?"

"Yes. conceited."

He grabbed her shoulders, gentle enough not to hurt her but rough enough to continue her 'game'. He threw her on the bed and hovered over her, careful of her broken arm. His face was mere centimeters from hers,

"And what else is it that you think of me Ms. Sidle?" he said in a harsh whisper. He leaned down and captured her lips within his hungrily. It actually surprised Sara at first, to feel him kiss her like this, it had been a while.

He slipped a hand down her side, slowly grazing her curves before making his way back upward and under her shirt, feeling her skin against his fingertips. He pressed his hips against hers,

"mmm gil," she spoke against his lips, "gil..."

He lifted his head, looking her in the eyes.

"gil... maybe we shouldn't start things we can't finish... you have to leave for work soon- and greg will be here any minute."

"I supposed thats my fault."

"As a mater of fact," she smiled, "It is." she kissed him gently, "go get dressed."

tbc.... sorry this update took so long, bit of writers block.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: the loft is set up like the way they showed on t.v after sara left.

-------

Sara sat on the couch reading as grissom finished getting ready. He walked up the stairs that connected the kitchen to the doorway and adjoining 'living room'. She looked up from her book to see him zip up his windbreaker half way. She stood and walked over to hip, snaking an arm around his waste and leaning in to kiss him softly. Just then the doorbell rang. He kissed her again, and a third time before releasing his hold on her and picking up his field kit. He opened the door to see greg standing there with a tub of double fudge ice cream and a movie in hand.

"hey boss." greg smiled enthusiastically.

Grissom put a hand on his shoulder, smiled and quietly thanked him before walking past him to leave for work.

Once Grissom was gone greg turned to sara and smiled. He made his way to her and wrapped both arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"how are you feeling?" he finally spoke once he let go.

"Better." she smiled. She walked past him, closing and locking the door before turning back to him, "what have you got there?"

He looked down at his hands, having forgotten that he had brought things with him, then looked back up at her and smiled, "Double fudge brownie- your favorite- and a movie- incase you're in the mood."

she smiled, "Thanks greg." and after a pause, added, "I'm sorry you're stuck baby sitting."

"oh shut up," he playful shoved and walked down the stairs to the kitchen area, looking through the cupboards for two bowls for the ice cream, making himself at home. She fallowed,

"To the right, second shelf" she helped. Watching him take out two bowls and serve a few scoops in each. He sat on a bar stool on one side of the island, she sat on the opposite.

As he spooned a mouthful of ice cream he looked around the place for the first time, taking in his surroundings. He had never been here before.

"How long have you two been living here?" he asked curiously.

She still felt is extremely odd that everyone knew about her and Gil, but greg was one of her closest friends, he deserved to have some questions answered, even if it made her a little uncomfortable.

"A little over a year, i think."

"really!?" his eye brows raised in surprise, "wow."

"You understand why we couldn't tell you... don't you?"

"Yeah- its just- wow. I didn't realize how long this was going on for. ... How long _has _this been going on for?"

"Around two years."

"Its hard to believe that we all missed it."

"Well we were very careful" she offered.

"So..." he spoke a little hesitantly, "when did you two meet. 'Cause we all know he knew you before he asked you to come help out with Gribbs' case."

"know _that_ is a long story."

"We've got time,"

She laughed a little and offered him a half smile trying to think back 9 years ago.

-----------

Grissom sat in his office attempting to tackling the mounds of paperwork that piled up in his absence.

"Gil." he looked up to see Conrad Ecklie walking into his office, file in hand, and taking a seat opposite himself.

"You know this could have been a conversation between friends. ... Why didn't you just tell me?"

"We didn't want you to know."

"Don't most women want to tell the world they're dating someone?"

"Where do you get your information on woman from?" he shot back.

"okay. So," he opened the folder and clicked his pen, "When did you and Sara... become involved?"

Grissom though a moment, thinking back to that moment, "Nine years ago." he spoke, while his mind was still filed with the memory.

"You know what- you two better get your stories straight." he slammed his folder closed and stood, snapping grissom from his day dream and leaving him confused.

------------

"When we met?" she repeated, "Well.." she began, "I was fresh out of Grad school, working for the San Francisco Crime Lab. The Forensic Academy Conference was being held in San Francisco that year and I went as did the rest of my unit. He was giving a lecture on the second day of the week long conference."

she thought a moment, taking another spoonful of ice cream, "You cant tell anyone about this part," she said pointing her spoon at him before continuing, "I had a crush on him the moment i saw him. I sat in the front row of the lecture hall to get him to notice me, and afterward i asked a bunch of questions, trying to rack up the nerve to ask him to dinner."

she saw him holding back a chuckle and she gave him a playful scolding look. "anyway, i never got up the courage, so my questions just kept coming, until we were the last two people in the lecture hall and it was getting rather late. Finally he invited me to have a cup of coffee to continue answering any questions i had. And we did, and we sat in the coffee shop until they kicked us out at closing time. And then we just walked around the park for a while losing track of time... and eventually we went our separate ways."

"thats it? no juicy ending!?" he teased.

"Well we kept bumping into each other the rest of the week at the conference, we exchanged emails and phone numbers and kept in touch for a few years following it, just to help each other on difficult cases and things like that. We went out again that last night of the confrence, and took a stroll in the park again, and somehow- although everything leading up to it is a little bit of a blur, but we kissed breifly. and soon after that he made an excuse as to why he needed to leave and left. And that was the last time i saw him until holly-"

Greg nodded, "So, how long ago was that?"

"I think its been nine or ten years already." she said trying to remember.

The spoke about various subjects ranging from recent cases that greg has worked to Hank the dog, filling up the time until they decided to pop in the movie.

About two hours after that, a few minutes after the movie ended, Grissom opened the door.

"Hey ya boss." greg smiled as he went to fetch the DVD from the player.

"Hi, how was your evening?"

"Very enjoyable" sara spoke smiling at greg.

"Sara..."

she looked up at him and so the confused look on his face. he continued, "When did you tell Ecklie that we got involved?"

"Two years ago." at her response she saw surprise enter the mix of confusion expressed on his face, "Why? what did _you_ tell him?"

"nine years."

greg chuckled on the side. "okay guys, im going to head out, sara, it was a lovely evening thank you for your hospitality" he smirked and walked over to grissom, giving him a 'manly' pat on the back, "take it easy boss." and with that he let himself out.

"nine years?" she repeated him, and then the it hit her, "The Forensic Academy Conference?" and she began to laugh at him. Although he was confused at her laughter, he didn't really care much, it was nice to hear her laugh again. It had felt like it had been forever since he heard her laugh like that.


	6. Chapter 6

"Yes nine years." He repeated, her laughter continuing. "You had a pony tail" he remembered fondly, speaking softly.

Her laughter softened as he continued.

"You had a lot of questions about anthropology for some reason."

"well-" she smirked, "I was trying to rack up the nerve to ask you to dinner." after a bit of a pause continued, "do you remember- walking in the park that night- the last night of the conference?"

"Of course." his voice was soft and steady, "I wanted so badly to invite you back to my hotel," he admitted, his voice seemed to hint that he was a little ashamed of the fact.

"oh?"

"Yes. But I had never acted out of lust before, and the prospect of doing so scared me. Especially given the fact that I would be leaving the next day."

"I see." was all she contributed.

"Well..." he encouraged.

"well what?"

"Would you have come with me?"

"Right before you made your excuses to leave, I was about to invite you back to my apartment." she said matter-of-factly.

"Hm." He unzipped his jacket and hung it up before walking back to her. They walked down the stairs and to the bedroom where they both got changed and ready for bed.

"You know," he broke the silence, "we'll have to go see Ecklie together, clarify why we had different stories."

Her laugh was soft and sweet, "I suppose we do."

They slid into bed together, she rested her broken arm on his abdomen. He turned his head to her, just looking at her.

"Yes Dr. Grissom?" she spoke in a low seductive voice.

"Nothing." he said innocently.

She propped herself up on her good arm and hovered over him before leaning down and kissing him deeply. He responded and she intensified it. Swinging a leg over his waist she straddled him, pressing her body to his, he moaned in response.

Sometimes it amazed her just how much he turned her on, and how hearing a simple moan, feeling the heat of his body against hers, sent her over the edge.

His hands encircled her waist, his fingertips lifting the bottom of her shirt up over her head and right arm, and then carefully over her left arm and cast. He loved the feel of her bare skin on his fingertips. Her fingers ran their way down to his boxers' waist band, where she slipped her fingers in, just enough to tease him. He wrapped his hands around her hips and flipped her over so he was hovering her, leaning down and taking her lips hungrily. He grabbed her body up, sliding his hands between her back and the sheets underneath.

He heard her deep intake of breath and smiled against her lips. And then heard her whimper of a cry. He leaned back on his knees and looked down at her, realizing that her deep intake of breath wasn't from pleasure, but rather from pain. Her hands were on her ribs, and tears were involuntarily streaming down her checks.

He began to panic and she saw this in his eyes, "no no," she managed to get out, "I'm fine. really.... ahh." "I'm fine."

"What happened? what did i do? are you alright" he got off of her and sat beside her,

"ahh... yeah- its just my ribs." she looked up at him sadly, "I guess im still fragile." she admitted.

"Sara." he said sternly, "If you're not physically ready for this then we don't have to do this. I'm most concerned that you have a full recovery."

"But i want to. . . " She began to cry softly.

"It's okay," he said as he held her against him, "It's okay."

He knew how much it hurt her that she was physically restrained from 'pleasing' him, and how she hated so much to be victimized. But until she was fully recovered he refused to let her 'wants' over take her need for recovery.

TBC....


	7. Chapter 7

She woke in Grissom's arms, his steady breathing let her know he was deep asleep. She thought about slipping out of his grasp, walking around or finding her book, but she knew it would wake him and he needed the sleep, she knew that. He had been at her beck and call.

While she was in the hospital he stayed by her side the entire four or five days she was admitted. And he had refused to sleep while he sat at her side all day and all night. Even as she slept he would not. Yes, he would nod off a few times here and there, but only for 15 minutes at a time at most. He would have cup of coffee after cup of coffee, trying desperately to keep his eyes opened.

And the first few days she was home, in the safety of their bed together, she knew he still would not sleep while she slept. He would get into bed with her, hold her, be with her as she would fall into slumber, but never sleep himself.

He finally gave in a few days ago. His body crashed from sleep deprivation and he had slept for hours on in.

As she laid in his arms her mind began to wander. She began to think about the first time she had laid like this, in his arms, just listening to the soothing sound of his breathing. It was nearly two years ago, and as she had revealed to Ecklie, she thought it was a Sunday.

_He had kissed her two days previous. The team had gone out to breakfast and they had been the last two to leave. She remembered how he walked her to her car, and then it happened so fast that she wasn't really sure of what happened next, just that she suddenly had felt his lips on hers. She had been so surprised that she was numb. She couldn't move, not to close her eyes, not to respond to his kiss, nothing. _

_And when he broke the kiss, he looked into her eyes, he suddenly became ashamed of himself. He had looked down at the ground as he apologized and then walked off to his car and left._

_Sara's mind had been on overload the rest of the day. The fallowing day she went into work as usually not know what to do or what to say. She was still shocked and confused. He had walked into the break room with assignments that night and not once did he make eye contact with her. He never even really addressed her, just said, "Greg- you and Sara have a 419 at the Rampart.". He himself had not taken a case that night, just locked himself up in his office and claimed to tend to the paperwork that piled up. _

_She remembered not really being able to concentrate on the case well, and Greg had called her out on it. By the end of shift she was fed up with everything. She was fed up with her over calculative mind, fed up with all the insecurities, fed up with all of Grissom's nonsense. She had made up her mind to confront him and give him a piece of her mind. Tell him off on how he cant just play around with her; How he can't just keep pushing her away and pulling her back in like a yo-yo. She refused to put up with it anymore._

_Determined, she made her way to his office at the end of shift. But to her surprise the door had been locked and lights off. Trudy informed her that he had gone home as soon as shift ended. Something he __**never **__did._

_She hadn't quite realized what she was doing until she parked the car in front of his town house. She walked up to the front door, her head held high, ready and confident as she knocked on the door._

_And a moment later, he was standing there in front of her, with him on one side of the threshold and her on the other. And suddenly, as she looked into his eyes that reveled hurt and uncertainty, she didn't feel very confident anymore._

_"Sara..." he said softly, almost as a whisper, surprised to see her. She said nothing in return, just stared at him. He felt obligated to continue, "look, Sara. . . I-"_

_She put her hand on either side of his face and pressed her lips to his, stopping any further words from leaving his lips. She kissed him with all the passion she wanted to the day before but was too surprised to._

_When she broke the kiss and looked at him, she saw how relaxed his features had become, and the ghost of a smile that tried to tug at his lips._

_"Would you like to come in?" he finally said, and she nodded softly. He moved aside and let her in, gently closing the door and locking it. _

_"I guess we need to talk," he continued,_

_"i guess so."_

_They had talked for a long while, longer than either had realized. That night he had confessed a lot to her, his fear of relationships, of interfering with work, of losing her. And in turn she listened, and understood, and expressed her sorrow for lost time but stressed the fact that it was all in the past and that the only thing that really matters between them is the future, which put him at ease._

_She stifled a yawn as the sun began to break through the shades. He glanced down at his wrist watch which revealed that it was just about 5:30 in the morning._

_"Sara- you should go get some rest. When was the last time you slept?"_

_"Before the Henderson case." she admitted._

_"That was a day and a half ago." he rose and helped her up off the couch, "Go home and get some rest."_

_"okay," she agreed as she stood, her hand clasped within his, and as he helped her up her body was brought close to his. They stood there for a moment before their lips met again. And this time they had both been ready for it. The kiss intensified as Grissom found the nerve to place his hands on her back and pull her in closer to him. Her hands slid around to the back of his neck and her long fingers played with his curly hair. _

_They stood like that for a while, the kiss grew deeper and more passionate. And as their bodies were pushed closer together she began to feel his arousal against her, and as soon as she did she pulled away from the kiss and looked at him. _

_Shame suddenly appeared on his face as he went to back away, but before he could she grabbed him and pulled him into another long passionate kiss, pressing herself against him as much as physically possible. She could feel him smile against her lips which turned her on even more._

_They had begun to shuffle towards his bedroom, step by step. She began to unbutton his shirt, and he didn't stop her._

_It hadn't really hit either of them what was transpiring between them until they arrived at Grissom's bedroom with his shirt off and hers' unbuttoned but still on._

_He looked at her, "Sara. . ." her name rolled off his tongue, ". . . are you sure..." _

_"yes." _

_"Once we go through with this. . . we cant take it back."_

_She looked deep into his eyes, lifted her hand and traced her fingertips over his bearded jawline._

_"im sure." she said in a soft whisper as she kissed him softly, lingering. _

_His hands pushed her shirt off her shoulders, letting it fall in a heap on the floor, revealing her black lace bra. He was so mesmerized by the sight of her that he almost didn't feel her unbuttoning and then unzipping his jeans._

"how's your arm"

"hu?" she snapped her head in his direction to find him awake and looking at her oddly, taking her out of her day dream.

"how's your arm? you're due for another dose of pain killers."

"oh- its a little painful, i think if i take half the dose ill be fine."

he kissed the top of her head and slid out of bed, disappearing down the hall.

He returned with a two pills and a glass of water,

"thank you," she half smiled as she graciously took the water and then the pills.

"So," she began as she finished swallowing the second of the two pills, "whose my baby sitter tonight as you go off gallivanting through the streets of vages?"

"Catherine." he said simply, ignoring her lure at a rise from him.

"Catherine?" she repeated dumbfounded.

"Why is that bad?"

"No- just. . . . you're not worried of her snooping around her."

"No, not particularly. Our relationship is out in the open. Dont normal couples have their friends over cassually like that?"

"I suppose. . ." when he worded it like that she wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"Anyway, she's a woman."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing- . . . . just that you hang out with guys too often. It'll be a good change of pace for you."

she laughed, "go get ready for work before you regret sticking around any longer."

he raised one eyebrow and flashed his boyish grin her way before bending down and kissing her softly, then heading off to the shower.

TBC. . . .


	8. Chapter 8

Grissom had left for work about half an hour before Catherine had arrived. When Sara opened the door for her it had been awkward for a moment, and then Catherine began her usually talkative rampage of sorts.

"are you hungry?" Sara offered, "Gil just made some fresh soup."

"Gil? Cook?"

Sara nodded, "I'm not really allowed in the kitchen, I'm a horrible cook. Gil's the chief." She spoke while pouring the soup into two bowl and placing one in front of Catherine, "Try it. It's his great grandmothers recipe."

Catherine dipped a spoon into the thick soup, filed with a vast array of chopped vegitable.

"Mmmm" Catherine looked up with surprised eyes. "Who knew, Grissom can cook!"

Sara laughed, "I was just as surprised."

She watched as Catherine look a few more spoonfuls of soup,

"So. . . when did _you_ find out that Grissom could cook?"

Sara thought about what Gil had said earlier, about how their relationship was out so they should be comfortable with their friends and letting their friends into that part of their lives. . .

So she spoke, and decided she wouldn't hold back. . . at least not too much.

"Breakfast in bed. veggie omelet, french toast, fresh fruit, glass of orange juice." she tried to hold back a smirk as Catherine's jaw dropped.

"Oh?"

Sara only gave a slight nod in response.

"Details." she demanded. leaning into the table more.

Sara pondered a moment, "umm . . . Fourth time. . . after we were, um . . ." she cleared her throat, "intimate. His old loft, um. . . yeah."

"And when was the first time?"

"The first time?"

"That you two were . . . as you say, intimate."

"Oh... you're really fishing here aren't you Cath?" she smiled.

"Yes, i want to hear it call, c'mon."

"A few weeks after Nick was abducted."

"That was over two years ago!"

"mmhmm."

"And you two have known each other for...?"

"Over nine."

"And all this time I thought he was this lonely work-a-holic."

Sara smiled. "He's been waiting on me, hand and foot, even though i tell him I'm fine." she admitted.

"Well you should have seen him when we were looking for you. I've never seen him such a reck. He's probably just recovering."

Sara gave a slight nod in acknowledgement.

"I want more detail of this 'relationship'. Im flabbergasted that I did not pick up on this."

"Well we worked hard to keep it that way."

"And what about now? Now that you're out in the open. What about work? and Ecklie?"

"I dont know. Gil said he would move to swing. He thinks I should stay on nights to keep me in familiar settings." the look on Catherine's face expressed her disapproval, but she didn't vocalize it, "but," sara continued, "I'm just letting him think that I'm going along with it for now, eventually though ill be the one to switch. I cant let him leave you guys, He loves you all too much."

"Can't I just do your evaluations? I'm still qualified as a supervisor. That way the team wont change."

"If we had just come forward with the relationship in the first place, then yes. But know, i don't think so. Its part of our 'punishment' in some way."

Catherine sighed heavily, then trying to lighten the mood, "This soup is amazing. I really am shocked."

Sara took away the empty bowls and placed them in the sink. As she turned her left arm hit the counter and she cried out in pain. Catherine jumped to her feet in response.

"Sara! What's wrong!?"

"Ahh- My arm- its . . ." she inhaled a sharp deep breath, "The pill canister. Can you grab me- ahhh- the one on the- the left."

Catherine quickly snatched up the pill bottle and opened it, "How many!?"

"Three" Sara managed to get out, she took the pills and swallowed them dry.

"Can I do something for you in the meantime? Until the pain killers kick in?"

Sara shook her head, "No, thank you. I'll be fine. Ahhh- I just- ugh. My arm and my ribs still kill."

Catherine frowned, "How long did they say it would take to heal?"

"Arm, about 3 months. Ribs, about 5 or 6 weeks."

"So you wont be coming back to work for a while anyway."

"Not if Gil can help it. But I will, maybe a week or two. He just doesn't know it yet." She smirked as Catherine shook her head.

Suddenly Sara began to feel extremely light headed so she sat back down on one of the bar stools and held her head.

"Sara? You alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Sara could feel something overcoming her. She began to feel dizzy and hot, and somewhat loopy too. She attempted to stand and failed. Luckly Catherine caught her before she made her injuries worse

"Okay Sara. Lets get you to bed."

Catherine walked Sara to the bedroom, having her lean the majority of her weight on her. When they got to the bedroom Sara collapsed onto her side of the bed. Catherine went to the master bathroom and made a cold compress for Sara. Bringing it back to her she placed it upon Sara's forehead.

"Thanksss" Sara slurred, "Whichhh pillsss did-I takee??"

Catherine left the room and retrieved the pill bottle and read off the label.

"Crappp- I tolddyouuu on the lefttt. Wrong pillsss. . . I'm only supposed to take one of theseeesee in severe pain."

Catherine went pale.

Sara felt herself going a little numb. Nothing was coherent anymore. She could feel herself talking, but everything started to become a blur.

"Heeee wonttt"

Catherine knew the medication was speaking for her, but she couldn't help but be curious, "He wont what Sara?"

"Heee wonttt have."

"Have what Sara???"

"Hee wontt havee sex withhh mee"

"Grissom!? Why?"

"Too fragileeee. I got hu-hurttt when we tried lasttt timee"

"When was the last time you had?"

"threee daysssbefore the aabductionnn"

"What happened? What did he say Sara??"

"Heee flippedd-on-toppp. anddd ribs, anddd painnn. Anddd he freakeddd outttshttt. and saidd noooooo-'till i recovvverrrr." Her eyes began to droop further down.

Catherine covered her with the blanket.

"Sara... do you think we should call a doctor? or get you to the hospital?"

She didn't respond. Catherine checked her vital signs, everything was fine. she read the bottle and deducted that the dosage she had was bad, but not bad enough to rush her to the ER.

What she _did _know, from the conversations she had with Sara that night, was that Gil would be furious and frantic when he found Sara in this state.

Catherine stayed close by to Sara as she slept. She took this time to first take in her surroundings, realizing she had never been in their bedroom.

The walls were an aqua blue, floor was paneled with dark stained wood. The room was decorated simply but homely. On Grissom's nightstand was a stack of books, reading glasses, an alarm clock, and lamp. On Sara's side was one book, hand lotion, a hair clip, her cell phone which was turned off, and a lamp. There was a long rectangular painting of a landscape hung over the bed.

She heard the door close and got up, walking out of the bedroom, down the hall, and to the kitchen area where she looked up and saw Grissom locking the door and putting down his feild kit.

"Hey Cath." he said as he kicked off his shoes and unzipped his windbreaker, "where's Sara."

"She's asleep."

"Really? Good. She needs rest. I'm just surprised she feel asleep with you here."

"Well. She didn't really have a choice. . ."

"What are you talking about Cath?"

"Her um. . . Her arm started to hurt so i reached over and grabbed her pills and she said she takes three of them. . ."

"Right. . ."

"And, I apparently grabbed the wrong pills. . ."

"She took three pills of the other medication!!?"

She saw the panic lurch onto his face, "Yeah. But she's fine now. She's asleep, I checked her vitals, she's fine."

Grissom walked right past Catherine and into the bedroom where Sara was asleep. Catherine walked to the bedroom behind him and stood in the doorway watching him.

He placed his hand to her forehead, checking her temperature. He Checked her pulse and brusher her hair out of her face gently. He sighed and walked back to Catherine.

"Thank you for taking care of her Cath, I really appreciate it."

They walked back to the kitchen where he got a glass of water from the fridge and offered her something but she declined. They sat at the island and had a quiet conversation.

TBC. . .


	9. Chapter 9

"So, how was shift?"

"Not bad. Boys had a triple at the Palermo. I was cooped up in my office trying to wrap up the accumulated paperwork."

Catherine nodded, "So, . . . Sara and I had an interesting conversation. . ."

"Oh?" He said a bit nervously.

"Yeah. Well- we talked for a long time about this and that. But, um, when she was stoned from the extra medication. . . She revealed some, things that she probably wouldn't have otherwise. And probably wont remember revealing."

"Should I be nervous Cath?" He said in all seriousness.

"No no. I just thought I would let you know, and give you my insight on it. She started to talk slurred and jumbled thoughts, but about how you're holding out on her."

Grissom almost choked on the water he was sipping, "chhmm. What!?"

"How you won't do it until she's fully recovered."

"Okay, Cath. . . . um, I don't really want to discuss this."

"I know, I know. But just listen okay?" she saw he was reluctantly listening, although squirming in his seat. "I know you think that it will hurt her and so on but i think she's a little healed already, and i feel like she needs to feel human again. "

"okay Cath. Look- um, I really appreciate your concern-"

"Gil." she said sternly, "Stop being so stubborn for one minute and listen to me. Get over your fear of hurting her cause she's fragile. You're hurting her mental health more than you would her body." he got up and picked up her jacket, "Just think about it will you. I don't want to hear about that part of your relationship. Really. I just figured you would like that tidbit of information."

She left him as he sat there thinking for a long while, until he finally grew tired and made his way to the bedroom.

Checking her vitals again and making sure she was alright, he then stripped down to his boxers and slid into bed beside her, Snaking an arm around her abdomen and pulling himself close to her. He sighed deeply, self conflicted. Eventually, though, he let go of his obsessive mind and persistent thought stream to finally fall asleep.

TBC . . .

sorry its short, new update soon i promise.


	10. Chapter 10

He stirred awake. Small shards of sunlight peeked through the curtains. He snuggled closer to her, holding her against him. Her soft curls lightly touching his face, the sent of her lilac shampoo invaded his senses. He heard her moan, and then felt her begin to stir.

He watched her carefully role over in his hold. Avoiding causing herself pain. Once she was finally settled back on the bed, head on the pillow, their eyes were locked.

"Good morning." he whispered so low- almost inaudible.

"mmmmm." She laid her hand on his body, "What happened last night? Its all a blur."

"What's the last thing you remember?" he probed.

"umm... Catherine and I were talking for a hours and, I don't remember her leaving. Or you coming home for that matter. What happened?" towards the end of her statement she began to get a little panicked.

"You took too much of the wrong medication accidently. Catherine handed you the wrong bottle. But you're fine. You were just really high last night," he smirked and she let out a low giggle at his statement.

He reached up and moved a strand of hair from her face, pushing it back behind her ear.

"So how was your time with Catherine? . . . I mean- the part you remember." he smirked.

"It was nice actually. We just sat and chatted for a long time."

"Anything of interest?"

"Not particularly. . . why? Had she said something to you?"

"No- no. Just a bit curious i suppose."

"Well." she pursed her lips, "thats a good place for a scientist to be."

He smiled. And for a moment he just stared at her, taking in her beauty. And then he closed the little amount of space they had had between them and he placed his lips upon hers. He kissed her deeply and passionantly. He propped himself up on one elbow and continued kissing her intently. He felt her moan against his lips, and then she broke the kiss and looked at him.

"Gil. . . we shouldn't start something we cant finish."

He saw the someone withdrawn emptiness and sorrow leaking into her eyes.

Instead of responding he leaned down and kissed her again, and again. deepening it.

She could feel his body against hers, his heat emanating, his kiss, his taste. She could feel herself being drawn in and she almost couldn't help herself.

"gil." she said against his lips.

He moved his kisses from her lips to her neck, his warm breath kissing her skin just as much as his lips were.

"gil..." he voice trailed off as his hands roamed to places of known pleasure.

"gilbert." she said more sternly as she regained controlled.

He looked up at her with 'puppy dog like' eyes.

"what are you doing?"

"Well im trying to make love to you dear- but its rather hard when you keep fighting me off."

"But you said that you wouldn't ha-"

"I know what I said." he interrupted and then simply added, "and then i realized you may not be fully recovered for another few months. And im not sure i can keep my hands off you that long."

Her shy smirk turned into a full fledged smile. His boyish grin fallowed, and then he leaned back down and kissed her again, his hands roaming her body once more.

He pulled away and looked at her, he carefully removed her shirt, exposing her abrasions and bruises which he forced himself to look past. He teased her, taking his time removing her laced panties inch for inch.

Their love making was tender and sweet, and he managed to find a way to express his love for her without hurting her like last time.

And afterwards, when their breathing was still ragged, and legs and arms intertwined, when their bodies looked like one beneath the thin cotton sheets, she began to shed tears uncontrollably. He held her, wiping away each tear with his thumb as they fell. He understood his tears, knowing they were not of sadness but rather of opening a new chapter, and restarting their life together, one she thought, and he as well for that matter, lost forever.

tbc...

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a/n: sooo sorry about the delay. life got in the way.


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